Is There a Moral To My Story?

Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
522
Reaction score
158
Age
51
Location
USA
I finally bit the bullet and purchased a P3S and have been more than amazed besides after a few flights the vidio became choppy.Bought the Arg Teck antenna and my eagle turned into a TURKEY. Really wish I would have would have known about this forum before buying this Mod! First kit had a bad connector so I sent it back 2nd kit seemed to be fine after inspecting connectors under high powered mag. When tests began I started straight up too 200' and received a weak signal but returned strong so I went up too 400' and still fine. Started to fly further and reception was still constantly coming and going (never had these problems w/ stock RC). At about 2500' I lost every thing and my nightmare began! I proceeded to different parts of my yard to get something but nothing. By then I didn't even have a line of sight on it(now starting to panic big time). It was not clear in my mind if RTH was actually engaged or not and if doing it manually would work having a black screen (still able to see a silhouette of the map though) so I started making my way to the truck to maybe chase it down (LOL) when my screen came back. 6 mins left of battery! I control forward and distance increases I control backwards and the distance increases(%^@!#$*). By the way I still don't have video but I can see the distance values. With 4 mins left I hear a buzzing and bye God the thing is behind me and full video comes back the only thing is she's goin down! I find her 20 mins later in (believe or not) almost perfect shape besides 1 scratched prop. The next day I without hesitation go back too stock but video is so choppy I can't even fly. What the Hell have I done? Its 3 wires for pete sake and they all snap in tightly! Any help would be so appreciated. I never should have messed w/ a good thing but just wanted to have better video quality. Forgot to mention that well before the mod the choppiness in the video was starting to get worse and worse but I thought maybe it had something to do w/ the memory in my phone getting low (not the case).
 
Wait? Your eagle turned into a turkey? Hilarious. :) if this is still the stock remote. It could be simply interference. Try another location which I'm sure you did. I'm not sure. Wow. Also trust your rth. It's your friend. Even without video. You still have control. As long as you hear beeping its on its way back. And if you see it. You can land it right there. And go get it. Wish I had more info about the video feed.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
Well 2500' is not a bad distance for P3S, depending on where you fly.. What were you getting before? The most important thing i learned is not to panic and to stay put and keep pointing that remote into the sky where you last seen your bird...and eventually, it will come back. Some folks dont realize, but they still have full control of the drone even if there is no video. So you can trigger RTH by flipping the S2 switch.. thats what i do when i lose video feed, but see that im still connected to the bird (the light stays green on RC, when it turns red you lose all conection and FailSafe RTH kicks), so your Phantom will always come back to you (unless of course you push the distance and fly over 15,000' for example and run out of battery on the way back)..
And unless your Arg Teck mod was defective, you would always get better distance than stock with any market mods and bigger outside WiFi antennas. Unless you broke a connector during install process, then you would most likely need a new RC unit..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squirrel!
Well 2500' is not a bad distance for P3S, depending on where you fly.. What were you getting before? The most important thing i learned is not to panic and to stay put and keep pointing that remote into the sky where you last seen your bird...and eventually, it will come back. Some folks dont realize, but they still have full control of the drone even if there is no video. So you can trigger RTH by flipping the S2 switch.. thats what i do when i lose video feed, but see that im still connected to the bird (the light stays green on RC, when it turns red you lose all conection and FailSafe RTH kicks), so your Phantom will always come back to you (unless of course you push the distance and fly over 15,000' for example and run out of battery on the way back)..
And unless your Arg Teck mod was defective, you would always get better distance than stock with any market mods and bigger outside WiFi antennas. Unless you broke a connector during install process, then you would most likely need a new RC unit..
Is there any type of RC test so I would know for sure that there's a problem w/ it?
 
Wait? Your eagle turned into a turkey? Hilarious. :) if this is still the stock remote. It could be simply interference. Try another location which I'm sure you did. I'm not sure. Wow. Also trust your rth. It's your friend. Even without video. You still have control. As long as you hear beeping its on its way back. And if you see it. You can land it right there. And go get it. Wish I had more info about the video feed.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
It's back to stock now
 
Is there any type of RC test so I would know for sure that there's a problem w/ it?

The best test in my opinion, and it doesnt cost any extra $$, is to compare your previous flight distance tests with your current distance, and to see if you notice any major difference in distance.
Fly the same route, same weather, same time of day, and see if you are getting different results.
You can always purchase a radio signal measuring kit online and check the actual signal strength, and then compare with official DJI RC specs. But i believe they go for $100+.
Maybe there is better way to test, but i cant think of any other right now....
The main problem is that you can't compare your results with other Phantom owners, since there are SO many factors that can affect the max range of your drone , like location, weather, WiFi interference..
 
2 thoughts: Check and be sure you have not swapped 2 of your cables.
The center pins might be damaged on the RF boards.
 
Appreciate you guys takin time to help,been doin 95% reading 5% flying before n after I bought this. Connectors r tight and in proper places. I know I'm diggin but would the temperature of the hot glue (thats what I used)do any damage to the boards? And should we really be using after market parts,how much testing r they really doing ? Just feel guilty for ever touching it. It preformed as promised.
 
Also if someone could walk me threw the software (in order) and links if able, that I need to downloads my logs to PC would really help. Found 1 on here but seems to be an older way to do it. THANK YOU
 
Also if someone could walk me threw the software (in order) and links if able, that I need to downloads my logs to PC would really help. Found 1 on here but seems to be an older way to do it. THANK YOU

Here is a YouTube video, with step by step instructions on how to transfer logs from your iphone/ipad to your computer, and upload on healthy drones(optional)...
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Appreciate you guys takin time to help,been doin 95% reading 5% flying before n after I bought this. Connectors r tight and in proper places. I know I'm diggin but would the temperature of the hot glue (thats what I used)do any damage to the boards? And should we really be using after market parts,how much testing r they really doing ? Just feel guilty for ever touching it. It preformed as promised.

I used hot glue on my controller, no problem. I dont think it gets hot enough to damage the boards or wires..
I personally had very good experience with aftermarket mods. At least so far.... Actually, my stock distance sucked big time. i had to do something to make flying my standard somewhat enjoyable, without getting frustrated with distance and lost signal all the time. Its sooo much better now after i installed the antenna mods.
i wrote this in another thread yesterday:

i guess it depends on the area where you live and fly.
I fly in suburban area with a lot of WiFi interference.
My stock distance was anywhere between 800' feet to 1,800'.. Once i made it to 2,200', that was my record lol..
I got a DBS mode and some amps, now i get 6,000-7,000' no problem, and a couple of days ago made it to 11,200'.. but then i had a problem with RTH so had to come back.
I bet a can make it to over 15,000 no problem if i go to an open area or over water. Im just concerned about battery running out because im having some problems with speeds coming back...
When i fly in the straight line i can get up to 30mph, but for some reason coming back i cant go faster than 12mph.. almost ran out of battery on the way back the other day.
IMG_1169.JPG IMG_1174.JPG
 
I used hot glue on my controller, no problem. I dont think it gets hot enough to damage the boards or wires..
I personally had very good experience with aftermarket mods. At least so far.... Actually, my stock distance sucked big time. i had to do something to make flying my standard somewhat enjoyable, without getting frustrated with distance and lost signal all the time. Its sooo much better now after i installed the antenna mods.
i wrote this in another thread yesterday:

i guess it depends on the area where you live and fly.
I fly in suburban area with a lot of WiFi interference.
My stock distance was anywhere between 800' feet to 1,800'.. Once i made it to 2,200', that was my record lol..
I got a DBS mode and some amps, now i get 6,000-7,000' no problem, and a couple of days ago made it to 11,200'.. but then i had a problem with RTH so had to come back.
I bet a can make it to over 15,000 no problem if i go to an open area or over water. Im just concerned about battery running out because im having some problems with speeds coming back...
When i fly in the straight line i can get up to 30mph, but for some reason coming back i cant go faster than 12mph.. almost ran out of battery on the way back the other day.
View attachment 46798 View attachment 46799
WOW,love the distances. First time I've seen that mod does it give Popeye forearms LOL? Your return speed has to be the wind, no?
 
Here is a YouTube video, with step by step instructions on how to transfer logs from your iphone/ipad to your computer, and upload on healthy drones(optional)...
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Thank you
 
  • Like
Reactions: prendy35
WOW,love the distances. First time I've seen that mod does it give Popeye forearms LOL? Your return speed has to be the wind, no?

LoL yes, i know i know.. , it looks freaky and weird, but, it gets the job done.. when i was putting it together, i was like man, this is gonna be too heavy and there is no way im gonna be able to carry this think around for more than 5 min. But its actually not that bad. its mostly lightweight plastic and some wires. i thought it was gonna be a lot worse.
There is a lot of useful info on this forum. Thats how i learned about this stuff. A lot of helpful members with good advice..
Most guys on here have a DBS antenna mod (most recommended), and some add on amps/signal boosters to improve signal. Thats what i've done to mine, after reading pages and pages of posts on this subject... But as you know everyone is different and get different results. You gotta find what works best for you! But based on my experience i strongly suggest doing a RC mod (if you are into that), DJI just doesnt put enough power in their P3 Standard and it doesnt have the more expensive technology of Adv/Pro. They consider it entry level drone. Some guys do get amazing stock P3S distance, but that wasn't the case for me lol. . But after you fly for a week or two, you kinda want to go longer distance, and if you dont get 10,000' out of stock Standard like some guys do ... Just my opinion..
 
Man I'm happier than a 2 peckered Billy Goat! W/ a lot of help from people on here I got my logs downloaded to H.D. and found out that I've had a near to nothin signal since I bought this bird. The news actually made me smile cause quite frankly it just makes things easier to troubleshoot. Since day 1 I've been wanting to use my ipad mini to fly but its wifi oly n never knew how to cache maps. And once again u folks came through for me(everything sounds so easy now! Thank God for people willing to share). WELL bye God if it wasn't the cell phone the whole time. I would even fly in airplane mode so I would get less interference. Made few flights with 100% signal scores n nearly any minor errors. Even decided to reinstall the ARG mod and it also preformed flawlessly w/ extended range. What a great feeling!
 
  • Like
Reactions: SZNJ732
LoL yes, i know i know.. , it looks freaky and weird, but, it gets the job done.. when i was putting it together, i was like man, this is gonna be too heavy and there is no way im gonna be able to carry this think around for more than 5 min. But its actually not that bad. its mostly lightweight plastic and some wires. i thought it was gonna be a lot worse.
There is a lot of useful info on this forum. Thats how i learned about this stuff. A lot of helpful members with good advice..
Most guys on here have a DBS antenna mod (most recommended), and some add on amps/signal boosters to improve signal. Thats what i've done to mine, after reading pages and pages of posts on this subject... But as you know everyone is different and get different results. You gotta find what works best for you! But based on my experience i strongly suggest doing a RC mod (if you are into that), DJI just doesnt put enough power in their P3 Standard and it doesnt have the more expensive technology of Adv/Pro. They consider it entry level drone. Some guys do get amazing stock P3S distance, but that wasn't the case for me lol. . But after you fly for a week or two, you kinda want to go longer distance, and if you dont get 10,000' out of stock Standard like some guys do ... Just my opinion..
Hey,I just updated the post. I'm a happy camper!
 
Man I'm happier than a 2 peckered Billy Goat! W/ a lot of help from people on here I got my logs downloaded to H.D. and found out that I've had a near to nothin signal since I bought this bird. The news actually made me smile cause quite frankly it just makes things easier to troubleshoot. Since day 1 I've been wanting to use my ipad mini to fly but its wifi oly n never knew how to cache maps. And once again u folks came through for me(everything sounds so easy now! Thank God for people willing to share). WELL bye God if it wasn't the cell phone the whole time. I would even fly in airplane mode so I would get less interference. Made few flights with 100% signal scores n nearly any minor errors. Even decided to reinstall the ARG mod and it also preformed flawlessly w/ extended range. What a great feeling!

Awesome! Glad to hear you got it figured out! :)
What your distance now? Do you fly in rural/remote area?? Or do you fly where there is a lot of WiFi interference?
 
Awesome! Glad to hear you got it figured out! :)
What your distance now? Do you fly in rural/remote area?? Or do you fly where there is a lot of WiFi interference?
2484' w/ out aiming rc when rth kicked in. In an extremely interfered area. When I get some time I wont have to go far too escape interference.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,359
Members
104,936
Latest member
hirehackers